Monthly Archives: March 2017

Max Stirner: The Dissolute Life of an Egoist 2

By Keith Preston

stirner2

German intellectual culture of the early nineteenth century produced an amazing variety of thinkers whose influence would continue to be felt two centuries later. Among the most interesting of these were those influenced in various ways by G.W.F. Hegel, but who utilized Hegel merely as a starting point for the widely diverse direction their individual thought would assume. Karl Marx was one of these thinkers, and perhaps the one with the most far reaching and durable influence. However, another fascinating thinker from this time period was an individual that in many ways could be considered the ultimate counterpart to Marxian communism, and to such a degree that a significant part of Marx’s The German Ideology is devoted to attacking his ideas. The individual in question was a dissolute figure who wrote under the curious pseudonym of Max Stirner.

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Letter to the American Left: Antifa is Not Your Friend Reply

by • Culture Wars/Current Controversies, Left and Right, Uncategorized • Tags:

By Nicholas Goroff

Occupy.Com

Though to many they may seem to be revolutionaries, primed to take the fight against whatever variety of perceived fascism, the self-proclaimed anti-fascists of “Antifa” are a millstone around the neck of the political left and possibly a greater danger to progressive and liberal values than even Donald Trump himself.

The Importance of Mutuality in the Realm of Tradition 1

by • Anarchism/Anti-State, Uncategorized • Tags:

By Chris Shaw

Image result for pan anarchism

Tradition is the conception of a solid society of recognised rules and customs with distributed classes of people. Generally seen as the lower and higher orders, society actually has much more complex relations of heredity and hierarchy, which take on different realms and situations. While tradition is certainly seen as the maintenance of certain orders, even in authoritarian circumstances, the reality is that forms of paternalism and natural order require acceptance by said lower orders, who are in fact important blocs of power that do not necessarily find themselves within authoritarian, top-down enforced relations but rather in localised variations of political dispute and argumentation, that can lead to forms of retribution (both violent and non-violent) to maintain mutualities. These mutualities are the real acceptance of such relations which form the backbone of actual tradition. Hierarchies are variable and can be open to acceptance, in the same way forms of property system are open to challenge instead of reliant on pure acceptance[1]. They require voluntary agreement in the realm of the social, otherwise such relations do take on an authoritarian character.

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Unraveling Classical Political Theory: The Roots of the Left, Part I: Classical Liberalism and Progressivism Reply

by • Left and Right, Uncategorized • Tags:

The Last Vagabond

In episode 6, Keith and Tim discuss classical liberalism and reform liberalism (often considered progressivism today), which is a philosophy that came out of the enlightenment that held the idea that citizens have inalienable rights against established systems of power, like the monarchy or the state. In fact, the American Revolution was one of the first classic liberal movements and most of the founding documents, on which the United States of America is based, such as the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution, are a direct embodiment of the core principles presented in the ideology of classical liberalism.

Unfortunately today, many people, especially on the right of the political spectrum, hear the word liberalism and immediately get negative connotations in their mind when it comes to the meaning of the word, even though the slogan of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” is rooted in classical liberalism. The misunderstanding derives from how classical liberalism split off in many directions, such as those in favor of a more negative approach when it comes to freedom (libertarians) and those with a more positive approach when it comes to freedom (reform liberalism/progressives). Over time, reform liberalism came to define the left, such as with past policies like the New Deal and new movements like those who follow Bernie Sanders.

Robert Stark talks to Giovanni Dannato about Solutions to Social Problems Reply

by • Left and Right, Uncategorized • Tags: ,

Stark Truth Radio. Listen here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert Stark and co-host Pilleater talk to Giovanni Donnato. Giovanni blogs at Colony of Commodus and is the author of A Kingdom For the Introvert. Follow Giovanni on Twitter.

Topics:

What Might A Post-Western Aesthetic Look Like?
Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti, the concept of arcology, and self contained cities
David Lynch’s Film Dune and the Game Riven
Sci-Fi Inspired By WW1: Future Best Shown Through The Past
How Singapore Went From A Fishing Village With Slums Full OF Shacks To A Thriving City-State With Skyscrapers
Singapore’s founder LEE KUAN YEW
The Human Life Bubble
The Backwardness of Consumerism and Consumer Capitalism
The 60s Revolutionary Order Has Fallen: Now What?
No Going Back to the 1950s – And What Lies Ahead
New Balance Hysteria Shows Us Meaning Beyond Markets
President Trump’s First Baby Steps (And the Big Picture)
How To Turn The Educated Against Political Correctness
Internet Benefits People Asymmetrically
Millennials as a lost generation, and why Giovanni is more optimistic about Generation Z
Discrimination and Why Nepotism Is Necessary
The need for Smart Socialism
Mercantile Diasporas
Neo-Tribalism
The Future of Alt-Right Populism
How the Alt-Right is limited mainly to the white working class and how a larger populist movement could attract progressive voters who have been neglected by the democrat coalition
What Giovanni Believes

Is Anarchism Worth It? 3

by • Anarchism/Anti-State, Uncategorized • Tags:

By Chris Shaw

Image result for types of anarchism

This question comes as a result of the lack of cohesiveness amongst the adherents of anarchism. Anarchists, while professing a common universality of values and beliefs, act as roving tribes when it comes to meetings between their different ideological sects. None seem to coalesce around any unifying concept, with each trying to outdo the other in how left-wing, anti-racist or intersectional they are. That’s all well and good for debate stages and internet forums, but it hardly builds a movement that can be politically and socially strong and that can challenge prevailing power structures. It leads to the question of whether anarchism, as the according ideology to so many beliefs, is really worth the time, the activism, the commitment that it is given.

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Idaho Democrat Leader Brain Malfunction: “We Can’t Say Gold Is Going to Protect Us from Inflation When [It has Risen from] $27 an Ounce to $1,218 an Ounce” Reply

by • Economics/Class Relations, Uncategorized

By: Jp Cortez

The Dunning-Kruger effect is the idea that low-ability people tend to suffer from illusory superiority. The phenomenon, first studied by David Dunning and Justin Kruger, says that people who know the least tend to overvalue their own competence, and tend to believe that they are experiencing some sort of upper-echelon level of thinking.

While the original study was conducted in 1999, we witnessed what appeared to be the Dunning-Kruger effect in action this past Tuesday on the floor of the Idaho House of Representatives.

And while it’s only March, but we also have identified the front-runner for our “Aurophobe of the Year” award.  (Aurophobia is the irrational fear of gold.)

During the March 14th floor debate on Idaho’s House Bill 206, a measure that promotes sound money by removing Idaho income taxation from precious metals, Democrat Representative Mat Erpelding — the House Minority Leader — couldn’t help himself and had to share his two cents, even after asserting that he had no opinion on the bill (but then voted against it).

“Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I don’t have an opinion on this bill. However, I do have an opinion on facts. Facts are somewhat important,” Representative Erpelding said with an air of superiority.  “If we say that gold is going to protect us from inflation, I want to point out that in 1868, gold was $27 an ounce, and today gold is $1,218 an ounce. So, we can’t say that gold is going to protect us from inflation when you have that type of a price range over the last hundred years. So, I just want to point out that facts are important.”

Huh? The purchasing power of the dollar versus gold has fallen nearly 98% and gold therefore offers no protection against inflation?

Despite Minority Leader Erpelding’s objection, House Bill 206 overwhelmingly passed in the House 56-13. Next, sound money supporters hope to receive a hearing and a vote in the Idaho Senate.

Watch the video here.

 

Unraveling Political Theory: What is the Alt-Right? Reply

by • Uncategorized

The Last American Vagabond

In part 5, Keith and Tim take a look at the recently popularized term “alt-right,” which, to those who have done any type of research, is a complex term that means many things to many different people. If one was to simply do a surface level inspection of the alt-right through an examination of mainstream media’s critique on the term, it would appear that the alt-right is nothing more than ideology based on white supremacy and an outgrowth of the neo-nazi movement. However, upon further examination of the topic, it appears that this explanation is far too simplistic and inherently incorrect when it comes to encompassing the broad meaning of the term “alt-right.”

However, some racist movements have indeed chosen to fly under the banner of the alt right, but the truth is that the alt-right has its roots in paleo-conservatism, which was a reactionary movement against the neo-cons who took control of the Republican Party. This outgrowth went on to evolve and include the reactionary movement against cultural Marxism, which is a term used to refer to political correctness. This subculture that has become much more recognizable as a result of the 2016 presidential election has gone on to become quite a force, in large part because of its mastery of the Internet, such as through memes (Kek), forums (Pol), and social media infiltration at large.

One doesn’t have to label themselves alt-right to see that some issues brought up within this sub-culture are legitimate issues that need to be discussed, such as immigration, national sovereignty, and forced multi-culturalism. However, anyone who does label themselves as alt-right should also understand that having an ideology based on preservation of the white culture is undoubtedly not going to appeal to the wider diversity within the nation, and in many ways is going to hinder them from building bridges with other movements. It’s okay to have white identity politics, just like blacks, Hispanics, and Asians have their own identity groups; but in terms of building a united front with other groups against the establishment, it could be quite difficult.

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States Consider Removing Income and Sales Taxes from the Monetary Metals Reply

by • Economics/Class Relations, Uncategorized

Listen to the Podcast Audio: Click Here

Precious metals markets can certainly be volatile from week to week, but over time they are a more reliable store of value than Federal Reserve Notes. Gold and silver remain the world’s most enduring and most widely recognized form of money. And, as spelled out in the U.S. Constitution, gold and silver coins are legal tender. Individual states thus can formally recognize gold and silver coins as legal tender alternatives to Federal Reserve Note dollars.

Both Utah and Oklahoma have passed legal tender laws in recent years recognizing gold and silver as money. The metals can be used freely as a means of payment and are free from all state taxes. More than 20 states have already removed sales taxes from precious metals transactions, with Alabama, Tennessee, and Maine now considering their own proposals to do so as well.

Other states, including Arizona and Idaho, are moving forward on legislation to exempt gold and silver bullion from capital gains taxes. Since Money Metals Exchange is located in Idaho, we would be particularly excited to see it become a haven for sound money.

Last Thursday a bill to eliminate capital gains taxes on precious metals passed the Idaho House Committee on Revenue and Taxation. Money Metals President Stefan Gleason testified before the Committee. Here is some of what he had to say:

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Donald Trump’s State Department approves Saudi Arabia weapons sales blocked by Barack Obama Reply

by • Anti-Imperialism/Foreign Policy

Apparently, Trump has decided to be just another tool of the Anglo-American-Zionist Wahhabist axis of evil. No US President that ever moved to dismantle the empire would be allowed to survive. The wider ruling class and deep state interests would force him out by means of political maneuvering, or if that didn’t work by means of a Pinochet-style coup, or in the vein of the attempted coup against Gorbachev in 1991. The Prez is the equivalent of the CEO of a corporation, and the various financial and corporate elites, along with the deep state and military industrial complex, are the equivalent of the board of directors or major shareholders. A CEO certainly has a range of latitude when it comes to policy.

But if the CEO of General Motors came out said that GM was no longer going to make cars and make children’s toys or sporting goods instead, he would be out the door in a millisecond. It doesn’t matter who the individual president is, what his personal opinions are, what his private political views are, what is personal character is. He is simply a figurehead for a wider machine.I expect Trump to govern as just another lame ass Rockefeller Republican as every president for the past half century has done.

By Samuel Osbourne

The Independent
donald-trump-0.jpg

The State Department has approved resuming arms sales to Saudi Arabia previously blocked by Barack Obama.

A multi-million dollar  technology for Riyadh was blocked by the former President during the final months of his administration over human rights concerns.

Saudi Arabia is leading a mostly Arab coalition targeting Houthi rebels in Yemen with air strikes.

An annual report by UN experts who monitor the conflict in Yemen, seen by Reuters, said the Saudi-led coalition had carried out attacks that “may amount to war crimes” — accusations Riyadh rejects.

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The PC Left’s Pathologizing of dissent Reply

by • Uncategorized

By Aleksey Bashtavenko  of Academic Composition

Toward the end of the USSR’s reign, the nation lost their “people’s artist”, Vladimir Vysotsky.

Just a decade earlier, he arrived in Hollywood to deliver a performance, where he soon found a captive audience. Without comprehending a single word, the listeners could not help but sense the spell-binding mystique he exuded with every utterance. In his inimitable, deep and raspy voice, Vysotsky became a legend ridiculing the commissars, the absurdity of life under socialism and gross corruption of the system.

When Spassky lost his crown to Fischer, Vysotsky released a song lampooning the communist party leader who threatened to “physically crush Fischer, be it by checkmate or not”. His other less well-known performance aptly titled as “the hunt on wolves” satirized the KGBs relentless persecution of political dissidents.

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The Democratic Party seems to have no earthly idea why it is so damn unpopular Reply

by • Activism, American Decline, Culture Wars/Current Controversies, Electoralism/Democratism, Left and Right, Strategy, Uncategorized

Right now is an ideal time for the promotion and cultivation of ATS ideas. Thanks to the bizarre nature of the US electoral system, a perceived “fascist” party is the ruling party, with control over the entire federal government and most of the states, and in opposition to the centrist to center-left cultural and political majority. Meanwhile, the “liberal” opposition party is increasingly being recognized as a band of incompetent crooks even as the wider culture continues to move leftward. The left continues to become more radical, and alienated from the liberal establishment, while the right is moving further rightward after having kicked the neocons and GOP country clubbers to the curb. Probably the ideal future would be for the GOP to maintain control of the state while the culture continues to move leftward and the left becomes more extreme, thereby creating a polarization between the political majority and the state. Hopefully, Trump will be a disappointed to the radical right as well, having the effect of pushing the right in an even more radical direction as well.

By Shaun King

New York Daily News

A troubling new poll was just released showing that the Democratic Party is significantly less popular than both Donald Trump and Mike Pence. My gut tells me that Democrats will ignore this poll, or blame it on bad polling, and continue down the same course they are currently on: being funded by lobbyists and the 1%, straddling the fence or outright ignoring many of most inspirational issues of the time, and blaming Bernie Sanders for why they aren’t in power right now.

As a general rule the Democratic Party doesn’t listen well and struggles to hear the truth about itself.

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Republicans now control the House, the Senate, the presidency, and the overwhelming majority of state legislatures and governorships. This new poll from Suffolk University illustrates just how that’s possible. Here are the base results of the poll with favorable/unfavorable ratings.

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